Australia is NOT the same as New Zealand
One last bit about football for a while. The idea of expatriated football clubs, which is to say clubs from one country playing in the league structure of another, is one that is both intriguing and disturbing. I say disturbing not because I fear it, but because, ceertain cases aside, it is a limiting factor in their ambition to improve through wider competition. I'll try and explain. In the Scottish league system there is one club, Berwick Rangers, that is not from Scotland, but from England (just, as the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed is 2.5 miles (4km) from the Scottish border). Similarly, Derry City, a club based in Northern Ireland, plays in the League of Ireland, which is the league of the Republic of Ireland, while AS Monaco plays in France's league. However, despite them being based in different countries (I say "countries" in the football sense, as we know that England and Scotland are two parts of the same country that is called the United Kingdom), they are all officially members of the football association in whose countries they play. As a consequence, when the time comes to qualify for international competition, there is no dispute as to who they represent - Monaco, even though it is a Monégasque football club, is classed as being French, and therefore represents France in European competition (even getting as far as the Champions League Final in 2004). However, there are clubs that play in the league of one country while being members of the association of another, which makes things more difficult. For example, in England's league structure, there are a total of five Welsh clubs, all of whom are members of the Football Association of Wales rather than the Football Association. This was not particularly an issue, as none of these clubs had ever been successful enough to come close to European qualification through participating in English competitions until 2008, when Cardiff City reached the FA Cup Final - had they won, they would have been entitled to a spot in the following season's UEFA Cup, but, because the competition rules state that the Welsh clubs can only qualify for Europe through FAW competitions, there was a question raised that was only settled by the FA altering their own rules.
"FA approves Cardiff for Uefa Cup"
Cardiff's run to the FA Cup Final was a relatively unique situation, as Wales's clubs are not on the whole especially successful in English competition. But, there are other examples of such clubs where, thanks to the local conditions in terms of structure, it is possible that clubs would be successful in their own league system but still be barred. A good example here is the two (three from 2012) Canadian clubs that play in Major League Soccer, the top level of football in the United States. All three (Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact) are members of the Canadian Soccer Association rather than the United States Soccer Federation. Although Canada has a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League, which is decided through participation in the Canadian Championship, none of them are eligible by winning their own league title - so, it is possible for one of them to win either the MLS Cup or the MLS Supporters' Shield, but still not qualify for the Champions League because someone else wins the Canadian Championship. Fine and dandy. But there's an even more extreme example; Wellington Phoenix is a New Zealand club that plays in the A-League, Australia's top division. But Australia is a member of the Asian Football Confederation, while New Zealand is part of the Oceania Football Confederation, meaning that Wellington Phoenix is totally ineligible to participate in any continental competition; it can't enter AFC tournaments as it is in a country that is not a member of the AFC, but nor can it enter OFC tournaments because it doesn't play in any domestic competitions in New Zealand. They are almost literally between a rock and a hard place. While obviously winning trophies domestically is important, there is an added incentive for most clubs that success at home allows the chance of competition against teams from other countries, and an opportunity to test yourself against the best from overseas. Losing out on that is what is disturbing to me.
"FA approves Cardiff for Uefa Cup"
Cardiff's run to the FA Cup Final was a relatively unique situation, as Wales's clubs are not on the whole especially successful in English competition. But, there are other examples of such clubs where, thanks to the local conditions in terms of structure, it is possible that clubs would be successful in their own league system but still be barred. A good example here is the two (three from 2012) Canadian clubs that play in Major League Soccer, the top level of football in the United States. All three (Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact) are members of the Canadian Soccer Association rather than the United States Soccer Federation. Although Canada has a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League, which is decided through participation in the Canadian Championship, none of them are eligible by winning their own league title - so, it is possible for one of them to win either the MLS Cup or the MLS Supporters' Shield, but still not qualify for the Champions League because someone else wins the Canadian Championship. Fine and dandy. But there's an even more extreme example; Wellington Phoenix is a New Zealand club that plays in the A-League, Australia's top division. But Australia is a member of the Asian Football Confederation, while New Zealand is part of the Oceania Football Confederation, meaning that Wellington Phoenix is totally ineligible to participate in any continental competition; it can't enter AFC tournaments as it is in a country that is not a member of the AFC, but nor can it enter OFC tournaments because it doesn't play in any domestic competitions in New Zealand. They are almost literally between a rock and a hard place. While obviously winning trophies domestically is important, there is an added incentive for most clubs that success at home allows the chance of competition against teams from other countries, and an opportunity to test yourself against the best from overseas. Losing out on that is what is disturbing to me.